wakeup call. the day after that terrifying and destructive big bang half a world away. how prepared are we for a truly catastrophic hit from outer space? what we don't know about what may be on its way. grief-stricken. the family of olympic star oscar pistorius speaks out and the world gets to see a heart wrenching view of the woman he is accused of killing. fall from grace. the remarkable but tragic story after big city mayor who stole millions to feed her obsession only to lose it all. tonight she explains why things turned so bad after she did so

much good. making a difference. how a little music may be the best medicine. we tag along with musicians on call as they make their rounds. good evening. a lot of disturbing questions are being raised tonight about just how vulnerable we are from giant asteroids hurtling through space. after our planet was caught in a sort of cosmic shooting gallery yesterday. if that explosive and damaging strike from a ten-ton meteor in russia didn't get our attention then maybe the close fly by of a large asteroid several hours later did. experts say a direct hit on land would have resulted in catastrophic destruction. so what's being done to identify threatening space rocks?

more importantly, do we have the means to intercept them before they hit? the answers aren't exactly reassuring. nbc's michelle franzen has this report. >> reporter: shock waves. today crews in the russian province covered a trail of debris, some 50 acres caused by yesterday's fireball and at a nearby frozen lake searchers collected possible fragments of the meteor. scientists say it exploded with a force 20 times greater than the hiroshima bomb with the earth's atmosphere acting as a cushion. the fireball shattered windows, damaged buildings, and injured more than a thousand people. the biggest bang in more than a century caught scientists by surprise as the world was focused on a bigger asteroid and its close encounter with earth. and overnight in northern california reports of another possible fireball captured on

amateur video. separate incidents scientists say but with the same message. i think that the meteor incident in russia is a wakeup call especially when one considers that it will arrive at the exact same time, exact same day as the asteroid fly by. so i think that we're really becoming very aware that we are in jeopardy from these types of collisions. >> reporter: aware but how well is the world prepared? nasa budgeted $20 million last year to look for objects that may hit the earth but some scientists say more money should be spent on detection and ways to avoid a possible collision. we've gotten very good at finding the big things, the kilometer sized objects, working down to smaller objects. but there are many more of the small objects like these than there are of the big ones. i'd say the appropriate technology for deflecting a dangerous asteroid could possibly be a nuclear bomb but the key is catching and detecting the objects early. >> reporter: experts say friday's blast could have killed thousands of people had the meteor landed in the middle of a

large city, a reminder, they say, that even smaller objects threatening earth should be a wakeup call. we knew factually that we lived in a celestial falling rock zone but friday taught us, reminded us that we live in a shooting gallery. in fact, we got into a cross fire. the power of the universe on display here on earth. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. with sadness and curiosity, people in south africa turned to their televisions tonight to watch the young woman who was shot to death allegedly at the hands of famed olympic runner oscar pistorius. two days after the killing the pistorius family had more to say about that shooting. nbc's michelle kusinski is in south africa tonight. >> reporter: oscar pistorius's family today strongly disputed this was murder and tonight here a production company decided to air the fir segment of the

television show his girlfriend had starred in and was excited about. you fall in love with being in love with love. just want love everywhere. >> reporter: this is a first look at model reeva steenkamp's first television show. to say she was happy about it doesn't begin to describe it but now to see and hear someone now gone who was only days ago savoring life. i don't have any regrets. i don't. i take home with me so many amazing memories and things that are in here and that are in here that i'll treasure forever. i think the way that you go on, not just your journey in life but the way you go out and your exit is so important. you either made an impact in a positive or negative way. she was like the mommy. always making sure everyone is okay and she was fun. >> reporter: a friend says she had been dating oscar pistorius for several months and was excited about that and about valentine's day. today members of pistorius's

family visited him in jail as did lawyers where he is being closely monitored. his uncle spoke. our entire family is devastated. we are in a state of total shock especially about the tragic death of reeva who we have all got to know well and cared for deeply over the last few months. oscar, as you can imagine, is also numb with shock and grief. there is no doubt here there is no substance for the allegations and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder. >> reporter: it has been a shock to many especially seeing reeva in life on television screens. it's so sad. one minute she's there the next she is gone. just always make sure you're true to yourself and i'm going to miss you all so much.

i love you very, very much. >> reporter: tragic for all involved. the sto pistorius had big plans for his future too. he was continuing to train and was set to launch a foundation for children that he was excited about. now all this quite possibly has altered the course of his life as well. lester? michelle kusinski in south africa. and a fall from grace in this country involving a woman who made history as the first female mayor of san diego. maureen o'connor admits she stole millions to support a decade-long gambling addiction that may have led to more than a billion dollars in losses. her story tonight from nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: maureen o'connor is 66 now. her health is frail, her fortune gone, her humiliation deep. i never meant to hurt people. >> reporter: what the former san diego mayor admits she did was to steal millions from the charitable foundation of her late husband robert peterson,

the founder of the jack in the box restaurant chain, to help fuel a gambling obsession of mammoth proportions. her winnings were over a billion dollars but, unfortunately for her, her losses exceeded even that. >> reporter: o'connor cut a deal to avoid jail time for wire fraud, pay back the charity, and fully admit her wrongdoing. but she said a brain tumor that was removed two years ago long after she gambled her way to few if any assets was the reason for the addiction. there's two maureens. maureen number one and maureen number two. maureen number two is the woman that did not know she had a tumor growing in her head. >> reporter: maybe, said one expert. anything that damages brain tissue is going to affect judgment. >> reporter: while the numbers are mind boggling, how much she stole, how much she gambled, how much she won and how much she lost, the truly sad part of the story is the contrast with the woman maureen o'connor was. not just san diego's first

female mayor but from 1986 to '92 truly a people's mayor, a vibrant reformer who had grown up poor, the daughter of a bookie, and who raised the struggling city's best hopes. i'd like to be remembered as bringing back a little ethics to the mayor's office and to the city. >> reporter: from those heady days to her claim when the glory days ended. my style has been different. it's the old frank sinatra song "i did it my way." >> reporter: admirable on its face but now revealing a secret life of illness and criminality and human failing. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. and there is more tonight about the misfortunes of another prominent politician, former congressman jesse jackson jr. of chicago, who is charged with using campaign funds to finance an appetite for expensive jewelry, furs, and other luxury items. we get that story tonight from nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff.

>> reporter: the day after former congressman jesse jackson jr. was charged with misusing campaign funds the downfall of the once rising political star has shaken his hometown of chicago. the level of theft on his part i find stunning. you have to learn from your mistakes. that's all. we pray for him. >> reporter: jackson was charged friday with diverting $750,000 in campaign funds for personal benefit including $43,000 for a gold plated rolex, nearly $19,000 for michael jackson memorabilia, $10,000 for bruce lee items, $5100 for fur capes and parkas, and $5,000 for a football signed by u.s. presidents. using campaign contributions for these kinds of personal expenditures is way over the line. you just can't do it. >> reporter: jackson's wife sandra was also charged with income tax evasion in the case. i offer no excuses more my

conduct jackson said in his statement. i want to offer my sincerest apologies to my family, my friends, and all of my supporters for my errors in judgment. jackson resigned last november just weeks after easily winning re-election. while he dropped from public view last year and said he was being treated for bipolar disorder, fbi agents were closing in initially investigating allegations one of his fundraisers offered to raise campaign cash for now convicted illinois governor rod blagojevich in exchange for naming jackson to fill barack obama's senate seat. today at a rally held by operation push, the group founded by his father, family members stoody jackson. we can make it through this period of time. i love my brother. i will stand with him until the end of time. >> reporter: jackson and his wife are expected to plead guilty in washington next week. he faces up to five years in prison but his lawyers will

likely argue to lower that taking his medical problems into account. lester? michael isikoff, thanks. overseas today a deadly explosion ripped through a crowded marketplace in the city of quietta pakistan injuring more than 180 people and killing 60. the bombing occurred near a school and killed a number of children. it appears to be the latest in a series of attacks carried out by sunni militants against the minority shiite community. as pope benedict prepares to say farewell at the end of the month there is talk of yet another break from church tradition. the church usually observes a 15 to 20-day waiting period following a papal vacancy to give cardinals time to travel to rome. but church officials now say the process could be moved up possibly in time for a new pope to be chosen before holy week begins on march 24th. back home the flu epidemic that has been ravaging much of the

country is finally showing some signs of letting up but experts warn it is far from over. the cdc's latest report says whilt numb while the number of patients admitted for flu-like symptoms has been leveling out the elderly are still being hit hard. when nbc nightly news continues on this saturday why more and more women are deciding they need to be armed. we'll meet some of them as we continue our special series on guns in america. and later, a different prescription for healing. take a little music from these guys and call me in the morning. ♪ i'm lorenzo. i work for 47 different companies. well, technically i work for one. that company, the united states postal service® works for thousands of home businesses. because at usps.com® you can pay, print and have your packages picked up for free. i can even drop off free boxes. i wear a lot of hats. well, technically i wear one. the u.s. postal service®, no business too small.

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yesterday in just 90 minutes after the president's antigun violence speech in chicago there were four shootings on the streets of that city. as it struggles with an epidemic of gun violence, which brings us to our week-long special series "flashpoint guns in america." tonight we look at a growing trend in this country as more and more women turn to guns to protect themselves. nbc's stephanie gosk went to texas and found one woman who believes that owning a gun saved her life. >> reporter: everywhere erin goes now she says her gun is on her after that terrifying night three weeks ago.

i looked up and he was like this pointing a gun straight at me and i'm just looking at the end of the gun. >> reporter: three men, one of them armed, broke into erin's house an hour outside of houston. she was alone with her 6-year-old son. out numbered and scared, the young mother had one thought. my gun, my gun, my gun. that was it. that was the one thing that was going to save me. >> reporter: erin tricked the intruders into her bedroom where she managed to grab her gun. >> reporter: i jushe shot one ie stomach and another wrestled her gun away kneeing her in the eye but all three fled. erin believes having a gun saved her life. erin did eventually call 911 but she wasn't able to until after the intruders had left. a lot of women who believe they need guns for self-defense are concerned that help won't get there in time. line up your sights. patsy quigley has been training women and writing books about self-defense since the '90s after close friend was raped. it was not easy for me to get a publisher for my book because there were so many women who

were against guns. >> reporter: she noticed big changes in women's attitudes towards guns. today the number of women buying them is on the rise. a gallup poll reported that in 200513% of all women owned a gun. that number jumped to 23% in 2011. many like stacy adams say they are buying guns to protect themselves. there aren't many men i know who aren't bigger and stronger than i am. so even in the best scenario i'm already at a loss. >> reporter: the number could spike even higher this year triggered by shootings in aurora, colorado and newtown, connecticut. the increase with women has really been apparent over the last i'd say four to eight weeks. >> reporter: it's a trend that worries those who believe more guns could put people in danger especially women. the evidence is very strong that a gun in the home increases the risk for of course gun accident. the evidence is overwhelming that a gun in the home increases the risk for suicide and the evidence is very strong a gun in the home increases the risks.

>> reporter: even advocates admit there are times guns are good protection. nobody needs to explain that to erin. it is extremely terrifying to have somebody come in your window. >> reporter: in that moment she says a gun was exactly what she needed. stephanie gosk, nbc news, magnolia, texas when we come back here tonight a debut you won't want to miss. nexi um, the purple pill, um, helps provide many with day and night relief of heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. there is risk of bone fracture, and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. call your doctor right away if you have persistent diarrhea. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take nexium if you take clopidogrel. ask your doctor if nexium is right for you. find out how you may be able to get nexium for just $18 a month at purplepill.com but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what?

[ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth! how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number -- not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% (testosterone gel). the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy, increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding,

should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. so...what do men do when a number's too low? turn it up! [ male announcer ] in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%. an intriguing proposition tonight about what might be in

store for google. the company reportedly plans to start opening retail stores in the united states by the end of the year. the stores, like those of its competitors, apple and microsoft, would let customers get a better feel for its products such as its new tablets and smart phones. a possible hopeful sign for wrestling fans grappling with this week's news that the sport will be dropped from the 2020 olympics. a group of prominent american wrestlers is planning to meet with wrestling leaders from a number of countries including iran to fight the olympic committee's decision to drop the sport. a close call in the ocean off san diego. life guards and specialists from sea world teamed up to rescue a baby dolphin that got itself tangled up in some fishing line. a group of kayakers saw what was going on and contacted authorities who got there just in time. and this was coming out day for new arrivals at a seattle zoo. four three-month lion cubs made

their debut after spending months in a maternity ward. it was one of many firsts for the zoo. the lions were the first to be born there since 1991. they were also the first litter for adia a 3-year-old south african lioness. up next making a difference with the healing power of music. [ female announcer ] caltrate's done even more to move us. because vitamin d3 helps bones absorb calcium, caltrate's double the d.

it now has more than any other brand to help maximize calcium absorption. so caltrate women can move the world. and i was told to call my next of kin. at 33 years old, i was having a heart attack. now i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i didn't know this could happen so young. take control, talk to your doctor. i didn't know this could happen so young. if your a man with low testosterone, you should know that axiron is here. the only underarm treatment for low t. that's right, the one you apply to the underarm. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes

in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. do not use if you have prostate or breast cancer. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet, or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. see your doctor, and for a 30-day free trial, go to axiron.com. . finally tonight a prescription that's hitting all the right notes for hospitals

and their patients. it's a program that puts musicians inside hospital rooms where they administer the powerful healing tonic of a good song. it's enlisted some pretty big names who are making hospital rounds and making a difference. he's toured the country many times over as front man for hooty and the blow fish and now solo country artists playing some of music's biggest venues. but on this particular concert tour he's playing to audiences of as few as two. his arenas? hospital rooms. ♪ >> almost made my cry. my daughter says, mom, don't cry. we're happy that she is getting better and this has made the day so much better. ♪ >> you see the looks on their

faces especially when you play a song they know and they're just so happy. nothing better than that. >> reporter: they don't wear scrubs but musicians like darius rucker and -- ♪ let me show you how country feels ♪ >> reporter: randy hauser are dispensing musical medicine here at vanderbilt children's hospital. >> i think it's great they take the time to come and meet the kids. >> reporter: the two superstars are volunteers with musicians on call, a nonprofit organization that enlists local musicians and celebrity performers to play at hospitals across the country. >> we know it helps with pain control, lowers blood pressure, and certainly emotionally it takes them out of the experience of being in a medical setting for that three or five minutes that a song is played for them. >> reporter: 17-year-old courtney battles a chronic stomach ailment and longs for home. one of randy's songs briefly takes her there. ♪ >> we live in a really small

town. one way coming in and one way coming out. >> a new dad with a new chart topping song things weren't always so good for randy hauser who understands music's healing power. >> when things weren't so great in my home music was that thing that i turned to to distract me or to ease the stress out of my life. >> reporter: the musicians get back as much as they give. ♪ >> reporter: you're there to cheer them up. sometimes do they have the effect of cheering you up? >> absolutely. you never feel bad. you see them there and you walk in and you know that you're just helping them a little bit. >> thank you, man. >> reporter: musicians on call operates in six major cities. they've got hundreds of

volunteer performers and guys who they screen, train, and schedule for these bed side performances. that's nbc nightly news for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" then right back here tomorrow evening. have a good night, everyone.